CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the end, the body wins when the mind says yes, and the body says no. It's a difficult conversation for athletes at the end of their endeavor, no matter the level of skill or success.

The body always has the last word.

Cleveland native Andy Hrovat listened to his body, and let his mind take over. That moment of honesty last year enabled him to make what he says is a seamless transition from 2008 Olympic wrestler to 2012 Olympic coach.

A balky right knee was one thing, but a partially torn rotator cuff that would have required surgery for him to keep wrestling at age 32 ended the conversation for Hrovat. Always a very analytical athlete, coaching was a logical next step.

"I love it," Hrovat said. "It was an easy transition for me. I wrestled as long as my body would let me. I had a few injuries, and it was time to call it quits. I was able to accomplish a lot in my career and travel the world. I'm proud of myself. I don't have doubts about what I did training and competition-wise, and that makes it easier for me."

His primary job as a U.S. assistant at the London Olympics is to prepare 185-pound freestyle medal contender Jake Herbert, who wrestles on Aug. 11. Herbert and Hrovat were USA wrestling teammates and sometimes competitors, and have developed a good friendship, which is evident on humorous FloWrestling.org video of them goofing around in a sauna during training camp last month.

Herbert is a Cliff Keen Wrestling Club member in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Hrovat also coaches. Herbert said he enjoys being coached by the wrestler he succeeded at 185 pounds. In addition to being an Olympian in 2008, Hrovat was a world team member in 2006. He did not place at either tournament.

Herbert's career took off in 2009 when he won his second NCAA championship at Northwestern (where he was coached by Fairview Park native Drew Pariano), and won a world silver medal the same year.

"He's finally just maturing," said Hrovat, who still will butt heads on the mat. "When he took second in 2009, he was small for the weight class. Now he's starting to physically mature. You can feel the difference."

Herbert appreciates Hrovat's approach as a teacher and former wrestler.

"He's awesome as a coach. He's knowledgeable. He's not one of the coaches that's in your face. He knows when to push and when to back off," Herbert said.

Hrovat (pronounced ROW-vat) still goes by the nickname "Silent H," and still likes to have fun in a sport where there's a lot of downtime on long road trips. It wasn't unusual during his wrestling days to spot him in a hotel lobby dressed in a lime-green suit and wearing a cowboy hat. He's toned it down, a little.

"It's a sport. Life is fun. You can't take it too seriously," he said.

Hrovat brings a much needed international perspective to the U.S. wrestling room, and a belief that the U.S. needs to broaden its wrestling horizons. He spent a year between 2010 and 2011 living and training in the wrestling hub town of Vladikavkaz, Russia. He said at the time he went there because he felt the U.S. system had given him all it had to offer and he needed more to succeed internationally. Hrovat said he once counted 26 world and Olympic medals won by different guys who were just practicing there.

"We're bringing a lot of stuff back internationally," Hrovat said. "You can't just have that ego to say we're the best. That's not being anti-American, it's being truthful. And sometimes when you deny the truth, you're denying yourself the chance to get better."

Catching up with the Russians and being open to other styles fits in well with the philosophy of freestyle head coach Zeke Jones, who in 2009 took over a program that has produced just one goal medalist at each of the last two Olympics. Jones frequently sites the facts that Russia has 48 world freestyle championships and the U.S. has won two, 1993 and 1995, teams on which Jones wrestled.

Hrovat, who was a three-time All-American at Michigan, works full time for the Cliff Keen club, and he is a part-time coach for USA Wrestling.

"My goal is to be the national team coach one day for USA Wrestling and be able to impact the whole country," he said. "I have a lot of knowledge and lot of ideas to help the U.S. become successful, and that's my goal, to make USA Wrestling better for the next generation."

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